| Slovak
Heritage Festival
Markham Museum
Aug.
21st and 22nd, 2004
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“Slovak
Heritage Festival”, presented by Slovak Canadian National
Council (SCNC), had ended successfully. The SCNC held this
year’s exhibition “The Slovak Spirit –
What they brought to Canada” as a herald of its 20th
Anniversary which will be celebrated in June 2005. The Festival’s
purpose is to pay homage to those who came from Slovakia
persevered overcoming many hardships, always keeping in
mind their goal to provide a better life for themselves
and for their children. This event took place on August
21st and 22nd, 2004 at Markham Museum which was transformed
into a 19th century Slovak village featuring traditional
costumes, music, dance, food, arts and crafts for this festival.
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| Twelve
pioneer homes depicted customs and traditions of the Slovak
Nation. Cicmany House: women dressed in Cicmany costumes
and demonstrating spinning and weaving. Church Square: area
for fellowship, merriment and joyous celebrations. Bride’s
Home: wedding preparations and dowry display, demonstration
of lace making, crocheting and embroidering. A skit of parental
blessing was presented to show the Slovak traditional wedding
ceremony. Print Shop - Easter Traditions House: Traditional
Easter display and Easter basket of food and specialties
and demonstration of Easter eggs painting. A skit about
celebration of Easter was also presented. Souvenir Shop:
display of maps, flags, key chains and etc. General Store:
display of costumes from different regions, dolls, accessories
and bulk foods. Railway Station: reminding people where
the forefathers settled in Canada. Harness Shop, Harvest
Traditions House, Blacksmith Shop, Christmas Traditions
House: display of Slovak style Christmas tree and traditional
Christmas Eve food. Live traditional skit and singing of
Christmas carols were presented. Slovak School: display
of textbooks. Mount Joy School House: “The Slovak
Spirit – What they brought to Canada” Exhibit,
including the history of the Slovak Nation, history and
activities of the Slovak Canadian National Council and members,
display of National costumes, wood carvings, tapestry, arts
and crafts. |
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At the Festival
Square, people could experience and enjoy the folk culture provided
by dance groups, such as: Lipa from Montreal, Domovina from
Windsor, Bratislava from Welland and Vychodna from Mississauga.
They also had a chance to taste the Slovak traditional food
at the Slovak Food Kitchen.
To commemorate
this festival, the SCNC donated a Linden “LIPA”
tree to the Markham Museum. It was planted at the North West
corner of the Print Shop, the Easter Tradition House. “Slovak
Heritage Festival” was certainly an educational and enjoyable
event. It helped to create a better understanding of Canada’s
diverse cultural groups. It also developed public awareness
of and appreciation for the contributions, culture and heritage
of the Slovak Community in Markham and Canada.
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